Pie and Pastry Bible (91 page)

Make the dough (page 45 or 29).

Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll each one between sheets of lightly floured plastic wrap
inch thick and large enough to cut a 5½-inch circle. Use a template and a sharp knife to cut the circles. Place them on a baking sheet and refrigerate, tightly covered, for at least 1 hour to relax the dough. (If desired, reroll the scraps and use a small cutter to cut a chicken shape for each pie. You will need a dab of yolk/cream glaze [page 21] to attach them and for color contrast.)

Bake the chilled pastry rounds or freeze until ready to use.

BAKE THE PASTRY

The pastry can be baked several hours ahead.
Preheat the oven to 425°F. at least 20 minutes before baking.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. (The rounds will shrink to about 4¾ inches.) Transfer them to wire racks to cool.

MAKE THE FILLING

In a medium bowl, place the morels and water and allow them to sit for at least 30 minutes and up to several hours. They will become soft and spongy.

In a large saucepan, place the chicken broth. Strain the liquid from the morels into the pot and bring it to a boil. Set the morels aside, covered. Add the chicken to the stock and simmer, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes or until almost cooked through (the internal temperature should be 170°F.). Remove the chicken from the stock to cool.

Raise the heat and reduce the stock to about ½ cup. It will become very syrupy and bubble thickly. Add the wine and reduce the liquid to 1 cup. Add the milk and cream, remove from the heat, and set it aside.

Meanwhile, remove and discard the bones from the chicken. Cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces and place them in a large bowl.

Preheat the oven to 425°.

Cut the morels into halves or quarters if they are very large.

In a large frying pan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the morels, carrots, onion, and salt. Sauté the vegetables over medium-low heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until the carrots are tender/crisp. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter to the skillet. When melted, stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the stock mixture. Lower the heat and cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes or until the sauce is very thick; it should just barely drip from the spoon. Adjust the seasoning. (There will be 2¼ cups of gravy.) Stir it gently into the chicken mixture, along with the parsley and thyme. (The filling can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours at this point.)

Spoon the mixture into the pie pans and cover each with greased foil. Bake for 10 minutes (15 if the filling was refrigerated). Place a baked pastry lid on each pot-pie and bake 5 minutes more.

OVEN TEMPERATURE: 425°F. • BAKING TIME: 15 MINUTES SERVES: 6
INGREDIENTS	MEASURE	WEIGHT
VOLUME	OUNCES	GRAMS
Flaky Goose Fat Pie Crust (page 45) or flaky Cream Cheese Pie Crust (page 29) for a 9-inch pie, made with optional 1 tablespoon (3 grams) finely chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried (added to the flour)		11 ounces	312 grams
about 24 dried morel mushrooms*	approx. 5 cups (after soaking)	2½ ounces 70 grams (dried)
water	2 liquid cups	16.6 ounces	473 grams
3 cans (14.5 ounces each) no-salt chicken broth	about 5½ liquid cups	43.5 ounces	1 kg 233 grams
chicken thighs (about 15 to 16), skinned†	3½ pounds	1 kg 588 grams
white wine, preferably Spätlese Riesling	1½liquid cups	12.5 ounces	354 grams
milk	1 liquid cup	8.5 ounces	242 grams
heavy cream	½ liquid cup	2.75 ounces	77 grams
unsalted butter	6 tablespoons, divided	3 ounces	85 grams
2 large carrots, scraped, quartered, and sliced ¼ inch thick	½ cup (sliced)	2.25 ounces 64 grams (sliced)
1 medium onion, chopped	1 cup	4.5 ounces	128 grams
salt	teaspoon9	•	•
all-purpose flour	¼ cup	1.25 ounces	36 grams
freshly pound black pepper	•	•	•
chopped fresh parsley, preferably Italian	1 tablespoon	•	3 grams
fresh thyme leaves	1 tablespoon	•	3 grams

POINTERS FOR SUCCESS

After I make the dough, I like to fold it in thirds like a business letter. It strengthens it slightly and also makes it puff up a bit unevenly, which adds to the rustic charm. Since it is baked separately, it still remains very tender because it does not pick up any moisture from the filling.

UNDERSTANDING

I find dark meat infinitely preferable to white meat, as it stays moister. White meat can take on a sawdusty texture.

The chicken has some residual moisture that thins the sauce, so the sauce must be very thick before it is combined with the chicken.

Although peas add a shot of green color, I find they interfere with the purity of the chicken and mushroom flavor. If you can’t eat chicken potpie without them, defrost baby frozen peas and add them after you have combined the chicken with the sauce so they cook as little as possible.

STEAK AND KIDNEY POTPIES

I
love the combination of beef and kidneys, so I developed a recipe for this English classic. I chose sirloin, the most flavorful cut of beef, and cooked it medium-rare. To intensify the beefy flavor, I chose portobello mushrooms, which taste almost like meat themselves. For the kidneys, I chose veal because their flavor is more delicate than beef kidneys. A crisp, flaky herbed beef suet crust is the ideal “lid.” The filling can be prepared as much as twenty-four hours ahead, which makes this excellent party fare for hearty eaters.

EQUIPMENT

Six 4-inch deep-dish pie plates

Make the dough (page 43).

Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll each one between sheets of lightly floured plastic wrap
inch thick and large enough to cut a 5½-inch circle. Use a template and a sharp knife to cut the circles. Place them on a baking sheet and refrigerate, tightly covered, for at least 1 hour to relax the dough.

Bake the chilled pastry or freeze until ready to use.

BAKE THE PASTRY

The pastry can be baked several hours ahead.
Preheat the oven to 425°F. at least 20 minutes before baking.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. (The rounds will shrink to about 4¾ inches.) Transfer them to wire racks to cool.

MAKE THE FILLING